Need a new front wheel and I’m torn between the DA 9000 C24 and the RS80 C24, on wiggle there is about $160 between them before any discount codes are applied. From my little research the only difference appears to be the hub with the same rim in both and I think the same spokes. Both clincher. Both have great reviews. Both light weight.

Will there be much difference between them other than the bling of Dura-Ace?

These will pretty much be used for training rides, have other wheels for racing.

That's pretty much the difference, RS80 is a little heavier and a little cheaper than DA. If it's just a training wheel then a RS80 would be the one to choose IMO. Don't forget to grease the hub before you put it on your bike, they only leave the factory with the bare minimum.

I've been very pleased with my RS80's.Nearly 15,000 Km's up and they are as true as the day I bought them.Mind you I only weigh 64 kg's.The brake tracks have worn but the indicator holes have not quite disappeared yet.Regreased the hubs once at about 10,000 Km but they didn't need it, plenty of grease. The bearings have "labyrinth seals" which work very effectively.

The rim profile is slightly different; it's a little wider, and the spoke nipples enter at a slightly different angle due to the wider flange spacing on the hub (makes the spokes leave the rim at a correspondingly wider angle). At the rear there's also the 11-speed hub (which fits a 10-sp. cassette with the aid of an additional spacer, but you can't fit 11-sp to the older hub).

I wouldn't bother spending the extra personally. I've done about 2500k on my RS80s now, got them for $550 and they've been great. I'm ~80kgs and ride on some pretty rough roads but haven't had any issues at all.

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments- Elizabeth West.

Ultegra = you should really go the RS80DuraAce - 7900 or 9000s no question (although if you don't run 11spd, you absolutely MUST NOT get the 9000s as they are of the wrong vintage for you)

This is cycling after all! I cried when I had a bike built as a warranty replacement and the mech decided to use SRAM cable housing for my Shimano setup. Oh, the humanity!

Note: 95% of this post is in jest

your going to hate me, i'm running SRAM red and the back wheel is a fulcrum zero. the two different types of spokes are going to look odd as fcuk but fulcrum don't split the sets and i didn't fancy any of the Mavics with similar blade spokes.

i loved the zeros so down the line i will probably buy another set or find someone who needs a rear and go halves with them.

It does actually make a difference. The quicker pickup reduces ratchet "bounce" shock load when you shift gears, especially under high load (which isn't ideal for shifting, but sometimes it happens), and also smoother & more responsive out of corners. It's more apparent on MTB than road, where you're on & off the power a lot more, and over the course of a long ride it does add up. When you're talking reducing the angle of pickup by more than half, it's quite a bit!

Sorry mate, I reckon it's a load of rubbish otherwise known as marketing also . Over many rear wheels I've never noticed a poofteenth of difference in speed or rideability because of a freehubs ratcheting system. They are no doubt great wheels but the ratcheting system isnt a point of sale to me.

warthog1 wrote:Sorry mate, I reckon it's a load of rubbish otherwise known as marketing also . Over many rear wheels I've never noticed a poofteenth of difference in speed or rideability because of a freehubs ratcheting system. They are no doubt great wheels but the ratcheting system isnt a point of sale to me.

I can tell the difference between a CK R45 freehub and a Dura-ace freehub. If it makes any difference I don't know, but there is less crank rotation before the freehub 'catches' on the R45s than DA. I

Yeah I can tell the difference between freehubs, there was a significant difference between my previous wheelset (Mavic Aksium) and DA 7900 C24's.

However I don't think that, in practice, it is so important. On a road bike you don't pedal, then stop, then pedal, then stop. Mountainbikes, sure, pedaling isn't so consistent. If you're pedaling circles for long periods of time, then engagement isn't an issue... you could have 90 degrees of 'slack' and it'd only be an issue for that first pedal stroke.

warthog1 wrote:Sorry mate, I reckon it's a load of rubbish otherwise known as marketing also . Over many rear wheels I've never noticed a poofteenth of difference in speed or rideability because of a freehubs ratcheting system. They are no doubt great wheels but the ratcheting system isnt a point of sale to me.

I'm riding Shimano XT MTB wheels, replacing SLX hubs, which in turn replaced Deore (for road comparison, progressing from Tiagra, through 105, to Ultegra) and I can absolutely tell you there is a major difference between the 22.5 degree standard pickup (which is the same as Ultegra/RS80 & below road hubs) and the 10 degree XTR/XT/Dura Ace hubs. SLX have a unique 11.25 degree lag. In practice there's little to pick between SLX & XT, but the improvement from the standard lag is massive. Shimano introduce the quicker hubs at lower levels in the MTB range, quite probably because it is such a pronounced improvement.

Duck! wrote: major difference between the 22.5 degree standard pickup (which is the same as Ultegra/RS80 & below road hubs) and the 10 degree XTR/XT/Dura Ace hubs. SLX have a unique 11.25 degree lag. In practice there's little to pick between SLX & XT, but the improvement from the standard lag is massive.

I don't have any shimano wheels anymore, did have a dodgy entry level whr 550 years ago, don't recall ratchet lag being a problem. The 12 degree difference you are talking about is only going to matter on the flat or downhill where you may coast. In this situation I'll be in the big chainring so taking into account gearing, that 12 degree diff at the cassette is going to equate to not much movement at the pedals Probably why I'm not noticing any appreciable difference, this is all on the road btw.The 12 degree difference you are talking about is a fair bit in mechanical terms at the wheel, and I am surprised there is such a difference though.

warthog1 wrote:Sorry mate, I reckon it's a load of rubbish otherwise known as marketing also . Over many rear wheels I've never noticed a poofteenth of difference in speed or rideability because of a freehubs ratcheting system. They are no doubt great wheels but the ratcheting system isnt a point of sale to me.

I'm riding Shimano XT MTB wheels, replacing SLX hubs, which in turn replaced Deore (for road comparison, progressing from Tiagra, through 105, to Ultegra) and I can absolutely tell you there is a major difference between the 22.5 degree standard pickup (which is the same as Ultegra/RS80 & below road hubs) and the 10 degree XTR/XT/Dura Ace hubs. SLX have a unique 11.25 degree lag. In practice there's little to pick between SLX & XT, but the improvement from the standard lag is massive. Shimano introduce the quicker hubs at lower levels in the MTB range, quite probably because it is such a pronounced improvement.

You'd also have to think its much more noticeable on a MTB because of the gearing. Say the lag is 20 deg at the hub, in a MTB you are likely to be in a 32 Front cog - 16 - 17 Rear , which would reduce the crank lag to say 10 deg.

On a roadie, you're more likely to be in a 50 - 13/14 which would reduce the crank lag to around 5 deg,